The definitive report on life in the Kowloon Walled City is the book " City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City
In 1992, Girard and Lambot were photographing a dim corridor on the 7th floor of the Walled City. They heard a faint drill sound behind a metal door marked with a hand-painted tooth. Inside was a former Chinese army medic who’d been practicing dentistry for 30 years without a license — his “clinic” was a single room with a repurposed sewing machine as a dental chair. city of darkness life in kowloon walled city 1993pdfl new
Despite its grim reputation, Girard and Lambot’s work revealed a resilient, industrious community. Many residents were not criminals but refugees and workers who formed a tight-knit society in the chaos. The definitive report on life in the Kowloon
, originally published in 1993 by photographers Greg Girard and Ian Lambot. This work serves as an extensive visual and oral history of the enclave's final years before its demolition in 1993. Accessing the Book (PDF & Digital) Despite its grim reputation, Girard and Lambot’s work
Enter photographer Greg Girard and historian Ian Lambot. Together, they spent years gaining the trust of the residents to produce "City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City."
Governance: Due to an unresolved sovereignty dispute between Britain and China, the city existed in a legal vacuum. It was largely self-governed, with Triad gangs, small businesses, and welfare organizations filling the void of public authority.